Fundraising effort underway for chef Justin Sutherland after boating accident
MINNEAPOLIS -- A popular Twin Cities chef is recovering from serious injuries following a boating accident over the July 4 weekend.
Doctors say chef Justin Sutherland, who won "Iron Chef America" and is known locally for the St. Paul restaurant Handsome Hog, will be fine, but the he doesn't have health insurance.
At Hope Breakfast Bar on Thursday in downtown St. Paul, dozens of people came out to eat and support a fundraising effort; 100% of sales are going to Sutherland's medical bills.
Sutherland was injured on July 3 and was hospitalized for a broken arm and severe lacerations to his face. He fell off a moving boat and into the propeller. He is improving hour by hour, but the road to recovery will be long.
"Justin will change the world," said Hope Breakfast Bar owner Brian Ingram. "Frankly, he already has."
Sutherland is beloved by the hospitality community across the Twin Cities.
"Somebody who makes the food world all over the globe stop and take notice that St. Paul is on the map, and someone who has invested enormously in so many different people, and so as tragic and as horrified as we are by this accident it becomes a blessing to get an opportunity to sow back into someone who has sowed so generously into us," said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.
Chefs and brewery owners from across the Twin Cities have already shown up to Hope Breakfast Bar. Anyone who wants to show their support can go to the restaurant, which will be open until 8 p.m.
Craig Kaiser is not only a colleague, as the creator of Cry Baby Craig's Hot Sauce, but a longtime friend, meeting Sutherland back in high school in Apple Valley.
"To reunite everyone and see people coming together is kind of what it's all about," said Kaiser, "Wish it was for something else because it's extremely emotional."
Since Sutherland doesn't have health insurance to cover any costs, Kaiser and other colleagues are making a large effort to help him out, so he can simply focus on recovery.
"He's just always been there for me and I've always been there for him," said Kaiser.
Not only is Sutherland known for the Handsome Hog in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood, as well as winning Iron Chef America and participating in Top Chef, he's also well known for his generosity and how much he gives back.
"He's very passionate about helping and serving and [this outreach] kind of shows he's done some good things," said Carry Sutherland, who is a proud dad seeing how everything his son gave, is coming back to him, when he needs it most. "It really shows he really has touched a lot of people," said Sutherland.
"This is like a true representation of [the love] and this isn't even a fraction of the people he's touched," said Kaiser.